--- title: Puerto Rico Declares Public Health Emergency as Dengue Cases Rise description: Puerto Rico’s dengue emergency has no immediate impact on travel but will make it easier for the health department to access funding for detection and prevention. canonical: https://time.com/6960544/puerto-rico-public-health-emergency-dengue/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-03-26T01:45:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T17:21:35.555Z article:section: Health og:title: Puerto Rico Declares Public Health Emergency as Dengue Cases Rise og:description: Puerto Rico’s dengue emergency has no immediate impact on travel but will make it easier for the health department to access funding for detection and prevention. og:url: https://time.com/6960544/puerto-rico-public-health-emergency-dengue/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt20a913c3104a34c9/698a5528d07533059be709eb/dengue-mosquito-aedes-aegypti.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Dengue mosquito og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Puerto Rico Declares Public Health Emergency as Dengue Cases Rise twitter:description: Puerto Rico’s dengue emergency has no immediate impact on travel but will make it easier for the health department to access funding for detection and prevention. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt20a913c3104a34c9/698a5528d07533059be709eb/dengue-mosquito-aedes-aegypti.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Puerto Rico Declares Public Health Emergency as Dengue Cases Rise by [Jim Wyss / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Jim Wyss / Bloomberg Contributor Mar 26, 2024 1:45 AM UTC  An Aedes Aegypti mosquito is photographed on human skin in a lab of the International Training and Medical Research Training Center (CIDEIM) on January 25, 2016, in Cali, Colombia. An Aedes Aegypti mosquito is photographed on human skin in a lab of the International Training and Medical Research Training Center (CIDEIM) on January 25, 2016, in Cali, Colombia.Luis Robayo—AFP/Getty Images by [Jim Wyss / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Jim Wyss / Bloomberg Contributor Mar 26, 2024 1:45 AM UTC Puerto Rico declared a public health emergency over dengue, a mosquito-borne illness that has surged throughout the Americas this year. **Read More:** [_Dengue Fever Is Soaring Worldwide. Here’s What to Know—and How to Stay Protected_](https://time.com/6429963/dengue-fever-cases-symptoms-prevention-explainer/) Health officials in Puerto Rico have identified 549 cases of dengue across the U.S. territory of 3.2 million people, with almost half the cases concentrated in the capital of San Juan. Also known as “breakbone fever,” dengue can cause headaches, soreness, fever and rashes—and, in extreme cases, death. “This year, cases of dengue have surpassed historical records,” Health Secretary Carlos Mellado said in a statement. The emergency declaration has no immediate impact on travel to or from Puerto Rico, a popular holiday destination, but it will make it easier for the health department to access funding for detection and prevention, Mellado said. There have been major outbreaks of dengue this year across large swathes of the Americas, including Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Peru. Last year, parts of Florida were put under a mosquito-borne illness alert due to dengue. 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